Viking Adam Thielen Living The Dream

Adam Thielen is a wide receiver with the Minnesota Vikings. The path that led him, to be a starter, for the Vikings, plays like a movie. I have always have special interest in Thielen, because he comes from Detroit Lakes, MN, which is summer resort town, in the state, of 10,000 lakes. My grandparents lived there, as well as aunts , uncles, and cousins, so I spent a lot of time there, during summertime.

I heard about this kid, who was an exceptional athlete in town, from my realtives. I started following him on the internet. He had a good career, in high school, being named all conference, and all state.

He ended up going to Mankato State, where he was redshirted. He improved each year, catching 74 passes, for 1,176 yards in his senior year. The Minnesota Vikings held their summer camps at Mankato State, so Thielen always hung around, during camp, being a ball boy etc. and got to know the Viking staff. He was not invited to the NFL Combine, so he attended an open tryout with the Vikings. They signed him to the practice squad.
He then moved up, to the regular team, as a member of the special teams. He worked hard everyday, and when an opportunity came, because of an injury to Stephon Diggs, he become next man up. He performed well, and became a starter in 2016, catching 67 passes for 967 yards. Prior to the start of the 2017 season, he signed a 4 year, $19 million contract.

Back in his high school days, Thielen’s hero was the Viking’s Cris Carter. He tried to mimic his pass patterns, and routines, and now he is playing for the Vikings and being a hero to many youngsters, just like he admired Cris Carter.